When two lives meet
by StillPushingTheTruck
Summary: A series of one-shots of Ash and Dawn in multiple universes where they start to discover or celebrate just how special their bond is. Pearlshipping
1. Seeing double, or not

"So. Which one is the real princess?"

After posing as Princess Salvia's substitute for the day Dawn thought it would be a great idea to test and prank Brock at the same time. Dawn could never understand how her travelling companion can always make a distinction between all the Joy's and Jenny's they meet during their journey.

Heavens know she tried. But no matter what town or city they were in each of them looked no different than the last. Since they were such good friends and have travelled quite a bit she wanted to know if he can do the same to her and the princess.

Seeing the breeder struggle to identify her. He started to sweat a bit and pulled the collar of his shirt nervously. Maybe she asked a bit much from him. It's not like he has a thing for her like he does for other girls.

A love struck Brock wasn't something she wanted to deal with anyway so maybe it's for the best he didn't recognize her. But she couldn't help but feel a bit hurt about not being recognized since they were good friends. Wanting to put the breeder out of his misery Dawn wanted to give it away but someone else spoke up before she could reveal her identity.

"I don't get why your so confused. Dawn is the one on the right."

The Coordinator sstared at the one who answered with an open jaw. Unlike her expectations it wasn't Brock who answered it correctly. It was her other companion Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.

* * *

Night fell over the Sinnoh region and the groups tents were all set up. Sitting around a campfire eating their meal in peace Ash and Brock made small talk like they always did. Dawn usually butted in with a question or story of her own but Ash found Dawn awfully quiet after leaving the palace. She managed to make an understanding with her new Togekiss but she still seemed a bit troubled.

"Something wrong Dawn?"

"No need to worry! I'm fine." She tried to keep her curiosity about how exactly the raven haired boy managed to separate her from the princess for herself. But no matter how much she told herself it didn't matter, each time she said it her interest only grew.

"If you say so." Ash continued with finishing his plate till Dawn spoke up again. It wasn't fair that she kept her thoughts in check. Especially since they concerned him.

"How did you know it was me?" Finally Dawn spilled the beans. Ash having learned from his mother not to talk with his mouth full swallowed the contents in his mouth before telling her.

"Your hair makes under your yellow hairclip is a bit longer than the princess."

"You saw a difference in that?" Brock surprised at his friends observation. Ash and Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see a difference in all the Nurse Joy's and Officer Jenny's we meet. And I've been travelling with you for a long time." Ash sharing Dawn's earlier thoughts and the reason for the prank in the first place. Even Ash was unable to do it.

"How dare you!" Brock standing up and now towering above the two young trainers scolding them.

"Each one of them is different as night and day! The Jenny from Veilstone City uses a different brand of nail polish to the Jenny in Hearthome City."

Continuing Brock listed off every single different thing about the Jenny's and the Joy's. Eventually Croagunk had enough and used his Poison Jab left the breeder in a mess laying out on the ground in pain.

"If you say so." Ash took another bite of his plate. He'd given up and just went with his claim that they all looked the same. With all the dinner plates now empty there was still the matter of cleaning then.

"I'll do the dishes today." Dawn offered. Normally the dishes weren't exactly her favorite thing to do but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Sitting on her knees nearby a small river she started to clean up all the plates they used. Again like before her mind turned to the boy who recognized her.

To say he was special is an understatement. Not many get to meet in the situation they did, fighting a giant robot just to get his Pikachu back from a bunch of baddies.

Ash has his flaws. But who doesn't have one or two of them? Not like she can claim she's perfect after the screw ups she made in the beginning of her journey. To confident of her skills at the beginning it was nothing more but bragging on her part while she couldn't back it up. But with the help of Ash and Brock she always managed to pull herself up back up again.

"Need help?" Turning around she saw the subject of her thoughts standing over her. Offering his assistance in cleaning up she patted a spot next to her and went on his knees.

" _Leave it to him to show up whenever you need it."_ They did the dishes quietly going their own way with Dawn cleaning them and Ash drying them.

"What other traits are different from the princess?" Dawn can't help but to be curious. Brock failed where Ash succeeded. But how? Sure her behavior wasn't princess worthy but it's not like he knew about it.

"Your eyes have a different shade of blue." He grabbed a plate from her hand and cleaned it. Stacking it on the others Ash wanted to grab the next one that the Coordinator cleaned. Seeing her hand motionless he looked at her face. He could only describe her expression as stunned.

"They do?" Having trouble speaking she struggled to get them out.

"Yours match exactly with your hair color while the princess are a bit darker." Dawn was going crazy. The gears in her head started to turn. What did all of this mean?

"And your jawline is a bit more rounder than hers." Only making it worse. As a defense mechanism Dawn tried to get out of it.

"Are you saying my face is chubby?"

"No! Not all!" His mother taught him that calling a girl chubby is one of the worst insults you can give one. Using his next statement would cover for him he hoped the Coordinator will let it slide.

"The rim of your skirt is a bit higher on her than on you." Thinking he got himself out of it he didn't expected that Dawn splashed his face with the water.

"What was that for?"

"You just called someone who's identical to me fat?"

"But she's not identical. I'm trying to tell you that!"

"How come you have such an attention to detail?" Their bickering stopped and his voice changed to a calm and deep tone.

"After my last battle with Paul." Dawn knew the last time he battled Paul Ash lost. Badly.

"Paul doesn't let any detail slip. I've been trying to get a hang of that as well. So next time we face off we'll win, right buddy?" His faithful partner for so long gave off a cheerful chu agreeing with him.

Remembering the special show she put on for him and his Pokémon just to cheer them up. Seemed his loss didn't bother him that much in the end. Still it hurt a bit that the only reason he recognized was a part of his training and nothing more.

"Oh. _What was I thinking? Off course it has something to do with his battles."_

"Oh?" Dawn sounded incredibly disappointed with his reasoning.

"I thought maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"It's just you managed to know who was the princess and who I was. That's what's been bothering me." Finally being honest with him. Ash didn't get it why it bothered her that much.

She always took pride in her looks. Even for the minor occasions Dawn wanted to look presentable. Call it vain but it's just something that belonged to her. If you look good you feel good.

Her Pokémon were always presentable and so should she. Was there really that much difference between the elegance of a princess and the way she looked? Even when said princess is a copy?

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't recognize you? You're one in a million."

Feeling herself heating up Dawn looked the other way. Her heart skipped a beat over his comment and careful not to look into the river in fear of Ash maybe seeing a blush on her face.

" _Do you have any idea how much you sound like Brock now!?"_ After all that she started to question if Ash really is dense or just so suave with his comments he makes it seem like flirting and playing with her. Did he really had an attraction to her or was she just imagining it? And how come she started these thoughts about him in the first place?

"You okay?" Dawn was unusually quiet. Was it something he said?

"I'm fine. No need to worry!" Using her catchphrase to stop him from questioning her any further.

"If you say so." Nearing the end of the pile of dishes they finished up their chore in silence. Ash stacked the last plate on top of the pile and Dawn thanked him for the help.

It was getting late and Pikachu started to yawn. Getting up from his knees he brought the stack of clean plates to their table and put them down. Ash yawning now too needed to get his sleep as well. Going over to the tent he shared with Brock he wanted to go inside.

"Goodnight Dawn."

"Wait." Dawn called out to Ash. She had one more question to bother him with before he could go to sleep. Still holding the tent flap he allowed Pikachu to go inside to find a comfy spot while he waited for the Coordinators final question.

"Why didn't you say we looked different the moment we switched in the palace?"

"The princess was incredibly nervous about her Contest. I didn't want to give her anymore nerves just because she's a bit different looking to you. She deserved to enjoy it."

Asking if they were done she finally allowed him to catch his sleep. Going inside his tent Dawn was all alone outside now. This sure was such a weird night.

" _Maybe Lyra did have a point."_

The Johto trainer Lyra teased Dawn when they were trapped in the Valley Windworks that out of everyone Ash will make the best husband. Clearly it was just a bit of joking in a bad situation but now that she knew that Ash had been able to separate her from the princess her young mind can't help but be curious if he had a thing for her like Brock had for all the Jenny's and Joy's but being a whole lot more subtle about it.

If she had a romantic interest in him to begin with of course. Which she clearly kept telling herself she didn't.

* * *

 **Ever have those idea's you want to put in your stories but can't seeing it isn't the time or place for them?**

 **Just a few little one shots to keep the Pearl juices flowing while I'm working on that other Pearl story. Something in between the wait. Don't expect constant updates on this one. If I come with something I'll put it on paper but priority still goes out to GS ball unlocked and the Mega Problems sequel.**

 **Oh well. Time will tell how I get with those in time.**

 **See you around.**


	2. My best friend is a superhero (AU)

A blue haired girl with long hair was laying down on her bed with a sketchbook in hand. The night came over the city she lived in and with the rain pattering on her window secluded herself from the rest of the world. Her phone playing her favorite tunes for inspiration to fill up the sketchbook. The girl was dreaming about being a fashion designer. The pages filled with all types of outfits she loved and idea's she might incorporate in her outfits in the future it was a night like so many before and she wouldn't change it for the world.

Taking a glimpse outside at the rain she couldn't help but think about one of her friends and how he's doing right now. Unplugging one of her earphones she listened to the patter on the window. As much as Dawn loved the rain as an excuse not to go outside she felt sorry for one of her classmates who always went out at night in the weekends. And it wasn't to deliver pizza's to people.

Her classmate named Ash Ketchum has an unusual hobby compared to others his age. While boys like him normally did sports, videogames or watch movies on a Friday night, he did something more like a main character in all types of media.

Hearing a heavier tap on her window she looked outside and was expecting the rain to fall harder than before. But hearing a certain rhythm to it she knew there was a visitor for her. Putting her sketchbook down on the bed she went to her window and opened it. A figure dressed in dark blue with a same colored mask covering the face crawled into her room through the open window. Dawn sighed.

Removing his mask his jet black hair made itself into shape. The scars on his cheeks and deep brown eyes told her all about the identity about the figure.

"Hey Dawn." He always did this. Whenever there is a slow night and nothing else going on, a small visit to her room was always on his schedule.

"Are you here for another pit stop or something more?" Closing her window as she said this.

"Can't I visit a friend?" Being hurt that she's thinking he was being here for nothing more but emptying her fridge.

"You just want to wait till a big part of the storm passes by."

Dawn found it hard to believe that a noisy guy like Ash is as silent as a ninja when fighting crime. The boy she knew from elementary grade turned out to have superpowers of his own. The ability some old books call aura. Dawn always considered it a bit like magic at first, with illusions and all that. But after knowing Ash for so long she knew he will never lie to her.

"Can I get you anything? Some cocoa or hot milk?"

"I'm good. Just need to warm up a bit." Rubbing his arms over each other to heat up.

"Out of all the days to rain this hard."

Cursing his luck that it rained on the nights he's patrolling the city. As much as he wanted to patrol every night he can't because his grades would suffer. So Ash had to promise his mother that as long his grades at school were passable she would allow him to do his things at night in the weekends. During the rest of the week he had to study. A deal he accepted, better than nothing. He finds it a miracle in itself that she allowed him to do this.

"So what can you do with aura? I know you have it but you never said anything else about it." Dawn never asked him before what exactly his powers were. Now with a bit of time on their side and Ash having an easy night she might as well fulfill her curiosity.

"I can pretty much do anything with it. If I put an image in my mind and focus hard enough I can make about anything." Opening his palm up a small blue light shone from it. Dawn's pearl eyes being fully focused on the light she saw it take shape. A very small object with four sharp points started spinning inside his hand.

"A throwing star?"

"Comes natural to me. Might be from watching all those martial arts movies I did as a kid."

He never knew why he was better at making objects like weapons compared to the usual aura spheres old books talked about.

"Same as these." The star in his palm stopped spinning and he focused on another favorite of his. The star started to change into a long shape now.

"A knife?" Dawn could see him holding the energy on the supposed handle.

"The correct term is kunai."

"Geek."

Pointing out his little obsession with martial arts movies and foreign cultures. Ash never made it a secret that he wanted to go to those lands where they came from and learn from actual masters himself. Being self taught from watching movies can only get you so far. His heightened senses due to his aura gave him an edge in battle. Ash knew without it he would've been toast a long time ago.

"Can you make something for me? Out of aura?" Since he was here and he showed off his little trick Dawn's curiosity peaked.

"I can try."

"A penguin!" Her voice filled with excitement.

"Why a penguin?"

"Penguins are adorable! The way they wobble on their feet is just so cute!"

Ash knew she had a small, okay, rather big fascination with the arctic birds. Remembering their school trips Dawn always loved seeing the birds in the local zoo. Ash has never seen as much appeal in them as her. Each their own tastes he guessed.

"They're birds that can't fly. That's just weird." She looked at him with an annoyed look.

"I'm sitting with a classmate in my room who's a superhero/ninja at night and can fire lasers from his hands. Who are you calling weird?" The irony being lost on him. Looking at the stack of paper on her bed labeled 'Dawn's designs' he had a guess where Dawn's fascination came from.

"Admit it. You love them just because their pelt looks like a tuxedo. And we all know how much you love well dressed boys." He said with a sly grin on his face.

"I do not! I just want people to look presentable. You're lucky the school has a dress code or else I would give you a makeover during lunch break! Lord, knows you need one."

Dawn loved her friend very much but having visited his room and having seen the contents of his closet before, the boy's sense of fashion can only described by one word.

Abysmal.

What she would give for a chance to pillage and clean his closet for just one day. If only she can get his permission for once which he furiously kept denying. Ash on the other hand knows how Dawn feels about his state of dress. And he did it on purpose just to mess with her and knowing how much it annoyed Dawn.

"Speaking of school are you coming to the basketball game tomorrow?"

Dawn asking him being one of the main cheerleaders for the team. The girl considered to be one of the most wanted girls at school with a popularity and beauty to suit. Yet she never dated anyone before much to the surprise of everyone in school. Although a large group of them has a hunch why.

"You bet! You know I love watching sports." Ash answered back, a fact that she questioned.

"You love the food they sell at the stands. You fell asleep the last quarter of a game after one of your nightly patrols."

"I fought a giant robot, robbers and some people who think car theft is just borrowing a car without ever returning it. It was a busy night." Somehow doubting his story about the giant robot whenever he brought it up, but he wasn't here to talk about the criminal activity in the city. He was here to talk about something personal.

"There's something I want to ask you." The blue haired girl told him to go ahead and that he can ask anything. They were always open to each other and if one has issues the other was ready to help fix them.

"You know that prom is coming up in a few months time and my mom is already pestering me about it. And thinking about it, it makes sense. Will you go with me to prom?" Her pearl blue eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Incredibly stunned that he blurted out something like that without difficulty. But fighting criminals on a weekly basis is nothing compared to prom requests Dawn guessed.

"A normal guy asks a girl with a letter in her locker or just personally at school in an elaborate way."

Her locker was starting to slowly get full of requests of people wanting to be her date. She found it a waste of paper and didn't find a guy yet who she would feel comfortable with for a whole night. It wasn't a priority for her just now.

"We just established I'm not normal. I'm the guy that shoots lasers. Pew pew." With his thumb pointing up as a sight and his finger as the barrel he childishly made noises that resembled the old sound effects in Sci-Fi movies.

Still a bit shook over his prom request this wasn't exactly an easy choice for her.

"Why now? And so early?"

"Better get it done and over with before people go crazy about it. Remember last year?"

Knowing exactly how hectic things can get by observing the graduates last year. People lost their minds it seemed and Ash even snuck into the school at night last year to find something that caused the hysteria. Coming empty handed he wanted to prevent himself from being a victim of it as well. Getting Ash his point across Dawn can see where he's coming from. Still it's a pretty big decision to make.

"I'll think about it. On one condition. You show me a penguin of aura."

" _Might as well."_ Giving in to her request he opened both his hands and focused on the image of the penguin as best he could. A small statue started to erect from his hands and from memory it seemed like her favorite animal. Never having done one before he felt quite proud over his first attempt.

"That's a lousy looking penguin." Dropping his head in disappointment the small bird in his palms vanished. Having lost his focus the hero raised his head and looked at her.

"Penguins aren't my weapons of choice. What kind of superhero throws penguins at bad guys?" Excusing why it wasn't as good as she wanted it to be.

"It makes sense since you can't fly, just like them. You can't fly. Right?" Not knowing all of his powers so far she had to ask. Ash confirmed that he couldn't. Just because he has superpowers doesn't mean he can break physics. Gravity still is much a thing.

"If you ever become a super villain, I'll hurl a penguin at your head." Joking that his new weapon of choice will be her undoing one day.

"Maybe I am a super villain already and throw in some itching powder the next time in your mask when you aren't looking." Sticking her tongue out to mess with him.

"Announcing your evil plan is super villain 101. I knew there was something up with you." Giggling as sinister as she could, Dawn's attempt was pretty poor.

The sound of the rain tapping on the window was starting to get drown out. Replaced by sirens Ash looked out the window. Knowing what it meant he quickly put his mask back on and said his goodbye.

"Well got to go. Duty calls." He didn't get an answer yet from her about his prom suggestion but there were more important things right now.

"Stay safe Ash." Even knowing where he would be going she still hated it.

"I will. No need to worry." Using her own catchphrase against her. It always came out of her when people asked her to do something and seemed to be struggling with it. Reassuring that all is okay.

Jumping out back into the stormy night Dawn walked back to her window. Seeing the dark blue figure leap from rooftop to rooftop till he disappeared from view she had a lot to think about. Closing and locking her window she laid with her back on the bed staring at the ceiling.

" _That's when I worry the most."_ He never had any major injuries so far and she hoped with all her heart it will stay this way for a long time.

Ash and Dawn were always best friends. Sure when they met as children they always stood up against each other but that was more the boys vs girls rivalry kids do when they are young. Growing up and working on a few school projects together they found it click and conversations between them became the norm. Working together was easily child's play for them and whenever there was a new school project and the teacher allowed people to choose their partners the raven haired boy and the bluenette were always on top of the list to pair up.

Like her, Ash is pretty high up the bachelor list the school paper recently published. He was a bit of an enigma at school though. He didn't have many friends but the ones he has, he's unquestionable loyal too. If you were Ash his friend and you asked the shirt from his back he would give it to you. He still made an effort to help out people who were getting bullied and stuff but being a true friend was considered a privilege.

Still going to prom with him? Her best friend?

Her friends at school always teased her that she's pretty much dating him already. Getting tired off it she always said they were just really good friends but they never stopped doing it. And if they found out about his prom question it will only get worse. The teasing she will get might've been unbearable.

" _A superhero taking me to a prom?"_

Not that she can tell her friends about it but it was a funny thought. The only fear she has is that during prom night something happens in the city and he stood her up. Did he just used her to get out if something…

" _No. He would never do that!"_ Not even finishing the thought. The idea of him not making her night enjoyable was inconceivable. He always made the time for her so why won't he now? But a small little bug still niggled her thoughts about it.

" _Maybe if I sleep over it for a night. After the game tomorrow perhaps_ _away from everyone."_

Whatever the case, she turned off her lights and crawled underneath the covers. Dawn needed a lot of energy for tomorrow and she wasn't going to be the one to let the team down.

* * *

 **Yeah, they're so in love.**

 **So a while ago I had a poll about an AU with Ash and Dawn but never went into details about it. This is just a short draft I made and I can't help but think there is an universe where Ash actually trained in aura. If people react well to this I'll post the rest, make the first chapter in a separate story and post it by the end of next month.**

 **Depending on the response I get on this one, instead of the sequel to Mega Problems I'm going to do this one instead. I need some variety and every time I try and start on the sequel I just lose all motivation. I'm Pokéd out so to speak. If I do this one I'll try and do a chapter a month. Maybe more but depends on my mood.**

 **See you around.**


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